Point . . . Counterpoint

USC Coach Henry Bibby and Illinois Coach Lon Kruger stressed the importance of the matchup between Trojan Stais Boseman and Fighting Illini point guard Kiwane Garris. However, the coaches’ confidence in their own player varied.

Asked by Illinois reporters if he had heard of Garris, Bibby snapped back: “Have you ever heard of Stais Boseman?”

Bibby said that if the game came down to Boseman versus Garris, he “would take Stais.”

Kruger was more low key.

“We know [Boseman] is a great defender,” he said. “It will be a tough matchup for Kiwane.”

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Boseman and fellow seniors Jaha Wilson and David Crouse have faced much adversity in their careers, from the car accident of former coach George Raveling to the firing of Charlie Parker and the 14- and 10-game losing streaks at the end of the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

But does finally making it to the NCAA tournament make up for troubles past?

“I’ve been through a lot of stuff that most college players don’t have to go through,” Boseman said. “I don’t think [an NCAA tournament] bid makes up for it. . . . But if we win a couple games, it might.”